The Physics Cafe - Premium Tuition Centre

For secondary school and JC students, mugging the examination syllabus can sometimes feel like an uphill battle; it may be tough, but it’s definitely not impossible. Subjects like Physics and Mathematics tend to get super convoluted and classroom lessons can only do so much to help students make it less so.

That’s where a premium tuition centre like The Physics Cafe comes in. Not your run-of-the-mill centre, it’s got a yearly enrolment of 1,000 students, plenty of student services and a unique learning approach that's helped at least 8 out 10 of their students achieve their ‘A’ grades. Here’s how they do it:

1. Lessons are dynamic and you can watch them online like a uni student

We’ve all experienced the occasional “Which page is the teacher on?” moment during schooltime. At The Physics Cafe, you’ll find that this never happens as the lessons are engaging throughout - student participation plays a big part here.

Source: The Physics Cafe

Better yet, all of the lessons are recorded and made available online via a digital library for students’ personal revision. Students can easily book the digital lesson that they want to watch through the website, in preparation before major exams.

The catalogue in their digital library is extensive - you can access all of the lessons that you’ve been through, for revision. | Source: The Physics Cafe

The best part about this “digital cafe” is that the lessons are open to non-students too. You’ll have to come down to the tuition centre’s study area to stream the lessons, but for only half the price of a live lesson and complimentary access to the cafe’s pantry, it’s well worth the trip.

2. To be a tutor here, you need to go through a Ninja Warrior-like process

The Physics Cafe tutors are endearingly termed “chefs” but they may as well be regarded as Masterchefs of Physics. For every 30 to 40 applicants interviewed, only one is hired. And the process doesn’t just stop there - even if they’re experienced, they’ll have to go through a year’s worth of training conducting mock lessons before officially teaching a class.

Source: The Physics Cafe

The centre’s founder Mr. Dave Sim can attest to this rigorous process - having taught at Raffles Junior College (now Raffles Institution) for six years, he understands the importance of being committed to his students and making Physics as accessible as possible. A quick look through their whopping list of testimonials - categorised by school - will show the tutors’ impact on their students.

Mr. Dave Sim and his fellow tutors maintain a close relationship with their students, beyond the classroom. | Source: The Physics Cafe

Don’t expect a spammage of notes or photocopies of Popular-bought assessment books here either - like an actual school syllabus, the tutors spend time putting together booklets of notes that are easier to understand than school textbooks. They’re highly sought after by non-students too!

Top-secret notes!

3. Lessons are not a repetition of what you’ve learnt in school

If you’re hesitant about tuition classes, it’s probably because you’re worried about spending an extra 2 hours of school, after school. But at The Physics Cafe, you won’t learn the same thing twice.

“Simple harmonic motion” may not sound so simple during an 8am lecture, but when you sit in here, you’ll get it so much quicker. Lessons - often 2 hours - consist of two concise parts: understanding concepts, where concepts are broken down and explained, and problem-solving, where you get to apply the concept on real problems.

Bonus: If that still doesn’t help, sometimes the tutors will carry out live demonstrations!

Source: The Physics Cafe

Their June holiday crash courses are popular among students for being major confidence boosters. These super comprehensive 4-hour lessons - with pizza breaks in between! - recap only the things that you need to know before a major exam. No longer will you have to rely on luck by spotting questions and learning more than you actually have to.

Pizza during breaks? Yes, please! | Source: The Physics Cafe

4. The tuition centre is a legit cafe that provides free food AND free travel

The pantry is constantly stocked. There’s even a free-flow vending machine!

The name “The Physics Cafe” isn’t a marketing gimmick. It’s really akin to a hipster cafe - with a foosball table and a free-for-all pantry that rivals even that of TSL’s. If it wasn’t for the fact that it’s a tuition centre, we could have featured it in this month’s listicle of new cafes to try.

Students can indicate on the map the destination they wish to go to

And the perks don’t just end at F&B - the cafe provides free shuttle rides to Botanic Gardens, Jurong East, Serangoon and Paya Lebar MRT. And if you’re one of those staying back late for revision, they’ll even book a Grab or Uber ride to send you home - free of charge!

The Physics Cafe - A different kind of tuition centre

Most people brag about results, but only the students here get to brag about results and how cool their tuition centre is. With ergonomic chairs for every student, high-tech equipment and a space that’s half the size of a football field, tuition here definitely feels like less of a bore.

And the results speak for themselves too with the centre’s impressive track record:

In 2016, At least 80% of their students scored A in Physics and/or Maths in the ‘A’ level examinations, double that of the national average

9 out of 10 of their students scored a distinction in the Physics and/or Maths in the O-level exam

Check out this list of students who scored distinctions. You may even recognise some of your seniors!

Source: The Physics Cafe

The Physics Cafe is already one of the most established tuition centres around - with over 1000 yearly student enrolment - and in the coming year, more students will be able to benefit from their lessons. In addition to their Toa Payoh and Beauty World branches, two new centres are expected to be opened in Novena and Marine Parade in early 2018.

Spots are high in demand so registration is online-only.

Bonus: Look out for their ambassador programme, officially launching in late 2017. It’s an initiative that provides students with partial and full scholarship to attend their tuition classes!